How long have you been working in this field? "I have been in dentistry ever since 1988 as a dental assistant and then was promoted in 2000 to an oral technician. Before that I was in the Navy."

What is your favorite part about this job? "My favorite part hands down is working with the military. These people are our heroes and I love being able to help them out. We do our best to put their anxieties to rest when they are in our office. Our job is for them to feel safe and secure."

What’s the hardest part about this job? "The hardest part is our department includes residency. It can tend to be a very stressful program. Once they graduate, there have been relationships built and it tends to get tough when they leave. However, it’s interesting to see them grow. We just had two leave and to see them go has been difficult. The work can be very demanding."

If you could do anything else for a job what would it be? "I always wanted to be a nurse. Timing is everything. I would love to be a flight attendant. It’s customer service and I feel like it’s what I do now. You would either like it or you would hate it. But, I love people and customer service. I would like to travel. I not only have dental experience, but medical experience. I am somewhat bilingual so that can always come to beneficial use in this field as well."

What would you tell someone who was interested in getting into this field? "I would say if you are interested in dentistry you must be fully and totally interested in it. To me, this is a special occupation. When you work oral surgery, there are so many avenues you can go down. Every day is something different. One day we might have a gunshot to the face or a soldier comes in and simply needs his wisdom teeth out. That is where the excitement comes for me. You also should be able to stomach this kind of job. For me, that is the fun part and I love what I do every single day."

Caroline Rose

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